Echoes from the Past: An Ezria Fanfiction
by lexiconophilia
Summary: It has been nearly two decades since the devastating breakup of Ezra Fitz and Aria Montgomery. Those years spent apart, however, held more than meets the eye: tears, emptiness, and Echoes. When Aria's biggest secrets find their voices, will all hell break loose? It's said that some secrets are actual people, and that much has proved to be true. But, is ignorance truly bliss?
1. You Talk Like A Mom

**Author's Note: Hi! I'm Dee, and this is my second fanfiction on (the other is "Mere Chance: An Ezria Fanfiction"). I've toyed with this concept since I began getting into the glorious realm of writing fanfiction based on "Pretty Little Liars," and I think I've finally gotten it where I feel comfortable publishing it. Yes, it's cliche (not everything I write is this way, I promise!). So, I hope you enjoy.**

* * *

Almost two decades.

Nineteen years.

6,940 days.

Too long.

June 17, 2031

The pixie's short, wavy auburn-colored hair whipped in the sticky sweet Bostonian summer breeze which entered the room freely through the open window in her bedroom, therefore getting all in her face, annoying her and ruining her lipstick. She sighed and began thinking about what the heck she might've been thinking when she decided to keep this annoyingly short haircut after Charlotte's unexpected-yet-completely-expected barber shop moment in the Dollhouse almost two decades ago. Seriously. Was she just stupid, or did she never learn about bad connotations?

She heard short heels clicking on the marble floor downstairs, and she remembered what she was doing before she began reminiscing about the horrific things of her past. She sighed again, this time with more confidence, and began rummaging through the plastic bin on the wood floor of her bedroom, until she found at last what she had been searching for the last two hours of her life. She held them up proudly in triumph before laying them gently on the bed.

Her head whipped around at the sound of her name, and she took to her feet once again and sauntered down the hallway to the stairs where a highly irate young woman stood tapping her heel against the floor in an attempt to tell her mother that something, or someone, was annoying her.

Aria's name hadn't been "Aria" in over ten years. The collection of names she had adopted as her own ranged from a child's angry cries of the word "mom" to a cunning little voice trying to take full advantage of her obvious gullibility with a sweet-sounding version of the word "mommy".

She began to playfully mock her teenage daughter by mimicking her actions of annoyance which, apparently, was the wrong thing to do. Nonetheless, it got her to laugh. What actually forced the smile on her daughter's face, however, was completely unknown to Aria. It was either her feigned look of ire or her height that did the deed, but it didn't matter. Her job here was done.

"Mom?" She asked, trying to remember what she was so angry about before her mother decided to take advantage of her inability to contain laughter.

"What. Do. You. Need. Your. Highness? She asked cynically. This made the slim girl in front of her giggle even more intensely, and what a sweet sound it was to hear her baby girl laugh again. She could do this all day.

"Seriously, Mom. Where's my phone?" The girl asked, trying her hardest to maintain a serious expression.

"I'm holding it hostage until I see that you're clean, dressed and ready to go." The much shorter woman replied. Although her daughter stood at an impressive height of 5 feet 7 inches, Aria definitely held the conch in that house. "We have two hours, and I know for a fact that it takes you at least a half an hour to pick out an outfit. So, get going!"

"I'm not three, Mom. You don't have to babysit me. And I seriously don't get it. I'll be wasting an outfit! What's the point of me dressing up and getting all pretty just to cover up my fantastic fashion sense with a hideous robe as soon as we get there?!" She rambled, obviously overwhelmed and highly irascible. That girl is definitely a worrier.

"Can you breathe, please? You're turning a light periwinkle and it's scaring me." Aria began, shifting her weight to her dominant leg. "I mean, if it's such a hassle for you to graduate, Miss Legally Blonde, I guess we don't have to go." Aria stated. Although this was a tactic used by her professors when she was attending college, it worked wonders in the Montgomery house. And, just as she had expected, she folded.

"Nope. I'm going." Eleanoire retorted, brushing past her mother to her bedroom. As she listened to her heels clicking on the floor behind her, Aria knew that she had won that round; and she raised a fist silently in triumph of yet another mother-daughter battle.

Aria spun around on her toes and began walking down the hallway once again. All the doors were closed, but when loud pop music coming from only one possible source began vibrating the floorboards, she knocked on the door with a smirk, hoping to catch him in his forgetfulness. But, to her surprise, she was wrong.

As the door opened and the music quieted down, Aria gasped at the sight of her son who is usually one of the most forgetful people on the planet, fully dressed and standing in the doorway to taunt her.

"Well, look at this." She murmured as she squinted her eyes so as to appear more...authoritative. She was very short, and he very tall, and after he nearly towered over her by a full foot, she had ceased trying. Her son just laughed in response to his mother's attempt at intimidating him, because he knew that he had won this battle before it had even begun.

"What?" He began as he leaned slightly on the door and kicked his right foot over his left one, ruining his perfect posture. "Were you planning on catching me in a lie?"

"Nope. I was just curious as to your progress in the delicate world of dressing yourself. Did you know that I had to dress you for school up until age twelve?" She mocked. He just feigned offense to his mother's snarky comment.

She extended her arm to straighten the blazer her son was wearing and tightened his tie as well. He laughed at her over-obsessive compulsive disorder that he knew he had also gotten from her side of the family and brushed his hair to the back of his head once again, flattening his cowlick before feeling it shoot up again.

He looked just like his father. His thin lips twisted into a smile and his bright cerulean eyes squinted as he chuckled. As a toddler, Ira's hair was incredibly curly and unruly. As he got older, however, it lost some of the frizziness. Aria was relieved, not only because she would no longer have to straighten her son's hair, but because he looked a little less like his father, and it was easier to eye him without wanting to burst into tears. Now, she didn't know if it was his broad shoulders, high cheekbones or his astonishing height of 5 feet 11 inches (given her height, that was more than impressive), but he definitely resembled Ezra. He smiled so much, the corners of his eyes now resembled his father's unmistakable crows feet, and the way he folded his hands in his lap mid-discussion even reminded her of his father, her former lover.

And that was enough to make her cry.

"Mom," He began as he sensed her tears and pulled her into a hug, which required him to bend over slightly so he would only be a little taller than she, "don't cry."

"Ira, I am so proud of you, and your sister. And your father would be, too." She whispered as she hugged him, her only son, who was getting ready to graduate out of her life. Then, sensing that she was getting too lachrymose, sidetracked to teasing him playfully again. "You know, I would say that you're going to make a woman very happy someday, but..."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Laugh all you want. I survived friggin' Catholic school, so I think I deserve some props." He replied with a chuckle as he hugged his mother again.

She had always supported her son completely. In fact, she was the one who noticed the signs before he did. Actually, that was his Aunt Emily, who also happened to be married to his Aunt Alison. But, same thing. His mother and her friends were all so similar, the height difference was the only noticeable difference between the five women.

"I agree. You are going to make a fantastic journalist, hon. And when you find the man of your dreams, you'd better call me. I remarried your grandparents, you know."

"Of course I will. Thanks, Mom. I love you."

"I love you too, Ira. To the moon and back. Oh, and there's a button missing on that blazer. Please change it, unless you want to give me a heart attack." She replied as she sauntered down the hallways once again. She heard him chuckle as he closed the door, and she smiled. Mission accomplished.

Although she looked happy, she felt so empty inside. Her babies, her world, were leaving her. Aria Montgomery had been wholly devoted to her twins since she first held them in her arms, and she didn't know what she was going to do once she was left all alone in this seemingly huge house. She worked full time at her office in Boston, but never had she been completely alone. Ever.

A feigned happiness had only limited effect on her children, though. She mothered them their whole lives, and to them, she was merely a translucent window when it came to emotions: they saw right through her.

She walked into her bedroom and sat down on the bed beside the two sweatshirts she had bought for her children when she found out what schools they had been accepted into.

Although she didn't like the idea of her little boy moving to that town, she had to admit: Hollis College is a wonderful school. And even more surprisingly, Eleanoire had gotten into UPenn on an almost full scholarship, an opportunity she had previously only expected Ira to obtain. To be fair, he had also been accepted to the University of Pennsylvania amongst a dozen other schools, but the idea of possibly sharing a dorm room with his twin sister didn't appeal to him for obvious reasons.

Aria picked up the sweatshirt which sat to the left of her small frame and ran her fingers over the logo on the front. Hollis College had very unfortunate connotations for her, but there's no reason why her son shouldn't get to enjoy the iconic atmosphere of Rosewood, unlike she did.

A suitcase sat by the door, stuffed beyond belief with clothes and books and various other paraphernalia that she knew for a fact she wouldn't need for a week in Rosewood, but couldn't find a reason not to bring them. After the twin's graduation ceremony, the trio would hop in the car and drive to the town which, in case you were wondering, still looks exactly the same as before. Maybe a difference in the air after Charlotte's death, but that's all.

"Mom..." She heard a voice calling her from the doorway, releasing her from the grasp of her thoughts and daydreams. She turned her head around slowly to reveal Eleanoire, in a stunning outfit that took even Aria's breath away.

She wore an ultramarine mid-length dress and high black heels. Her makeup was definitely more Spencer Hastings' style, but her hair was twisted into a messy bun at the back of her head, and her jewelry was enough to throw Aria hurdling back into the world of high school when her fashion sense was unaltered by mom jeans and pencil skirts. Not saying that Aria Montgomery lost her spunky sense of fashion, because she hadn't. Her earrings still consist of feathers and beads, and she mixes patterns more than she uses the mixing bowl.

She wasn't sure if it was the dozens of bangles stacked on each arm, the six rings on each hand or the sapphire pendant necklace (a gift from her grandparents on her fifteenth birthday) she was wearing around her fair neck, one that framed her face elegantly and accentuated her collar bones beautifully, that really made her realize it, but nonetheless Eleanoire was a spitting image of her mother.

And Aria couldn't have been prouder.

"Oh, honey. You look absolutely stunning." She breathed, taking her daughter's hand as she stood up to meet her in the center of the room. Eleanoire just smiled and fixed a strand of loose hair behind her ear before speaking.

"You talk like a mom." She replied with a giggle. Aria just smirked playfully back and hugged her.

"Thank you, babe." She whispered as she wrapped her arms around her daughter, who was no longer the baby girl she remembered swaddling in blankets and rocking to sleep late at night so clearly.

"Okay. Can't. Breathe."

"Sorry. I just don't ever want to let you or your brother go. Seriously, when you leave, it'll be like you're taking a part of me with you." Aria sadly admitted to her daughter who had grown to become the most beautiful, smart and talented young woman she had ever met. She took pride in the both of them.

"I didn't say you couldn't come and visit me! UPenn isn't that far away!" Eleanoire exclaimed happily in an attempt to brighten her mother's spirits.

"Yeah. And I expect you to be on call in case I need a sandwich or something."

Aria turned around suddenly to reveal her son leaning against the door with a smile. She wanted to cry. Ira looked so much like his father. He had Ezra's laugh and his smile, and those eyes of his! They were exact replicas of her former lover's. She feigned offense to his comment, and shook her head jokingly.

"Just who do you think I am?" She asked dramatically as she walked over to hug him. "And just how do you expect said sandwich to get to you? Should I FedEx that tuna sandwich without the crust to you, or drive it up there myself?"

"I think you're the strongest and most wonderful mother a man could ever ask for. And you make the world's best sandwich." He replied. "And I'd rather you bring it to me. So you can visit."

That set her over the edge, and she ran into his arms and began crying. He just held her there, obviously shocked at how fragile she had become in a matter of seconds. Aria came to her senses after a moment, and stepped away from her little boy. She held his hand in hers and wiped away tears with her other hand. Soon, Eleanoire joined the group huddle and Aria hugged her children and held them there for awhile.

"How lucky am I to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard?" She muttered into her daughter's bare shoulder. They both pulled out of the tight embrace their mother held them in out of confusion and cocked their heads to the right in sync.

"What brilliant scholar said that?" Eleanoire asked before Ira got the chance. Aria laughed to herself before answering.

"Your Aunt Spencer, who just so happens to be one of the most brilliant scholars I have ever met." She replied.

"Actually, I think Winnie the Pooh said that." Ira added.

"True. But don't tell that to your aunt." She said as she straightened her son's tie and fixed her daughter's dress strap. "Come on, you two. It's time for you to grow up. In the car!"

"Can I drive?" Eleanoire asked as they walked down the marble staircase. Ira and Aria whipped their heads around in shock. Eleanoire was, quite literally, the WORST driver Aria had ever seen. It was a miracle that she even passed her drivers test!

"NO." They both replied.

* * *

After an emotional afternoon at the school, Aria and her children began driving to the town she knew so well, yet still felt she knew nothing about. Rosewood was stitched together with lies and secrets, and intertwined in those lies were jigsaw puzzle pieces of the truth. You just had to know what the picture on the front of the box was. Aria and her clan, however, hadn't been that lucky. Sometimes, it's best to set the puzzles down and walk away.

The car bumped along the road, making Ira carsick and Eleanoire glad she had a full playlist and a half to listen to on her phone. Although her children had just graduated, they hadn't changed very much in her eyes. She could still see that childish spark of imagination and hope in her son's eyes when his assumption of whodunnit on the "brand new" old movie she had brought home happened to be correct or when he came home after thinking that he had completely bombed a test and found, in the grade book, a much-deserved "A". Ira was and would always be her baby boy, and Eleanoire her baby girl. It didn't matter how high of heels she had to wear to prevent her children from completely towering over her; she would always have the memories of holding their hands as they stood shakily between her knees and began to take their first steps and trying to get them to say their first words a second time for the camera to hold on to.

"Mom?" Eleanoire asked, breaking the silence that had filled the car for the first hour of the drive. Aria turned her head to make eye contact before returning her eyes to the road.

"Eleanoire?" She replied.

"In Rosewood, when we're there, what will happen if we see him?"

At that moment, Aria's hands grew shaky and her knees became weak. It was only once in a blue moon that either of het children ever asked about their father, and she had expected them to ask at least once on this trip. But, his name was like poison to her.

"Well, as much as I doubt we'll see him there, you'll know who he is when or if you happen to stumble upon him. His face is one you can't forget." Aria sighed. Good answer, she thought. They won't ask anymore questions. Unluckily for her, though, her daughter was heading off to law school in a couple weeks. And she had a lot of questions that needed a lot of answers.

"When was the last time you saw him?" Eleanoire asked. She was eager for more information. She craved it. Knowledge for that girl was like a drug. Maybe she shouldn't have let Spencer babysit her so much.

"What is up with you and giving me the third degree?" Aria snapped back playfully, smirking to herself. After not getting a condescending response from her daughter, she sighed and answered her question.

"When you and Ira were almost five years old. We didn't talk much. I told him to get going on the book he was writing, he gave one of his annoyingly familiar snarky replies, and I came home after Charlotte's death." She said, remembering that Ira had fallen asleep and couldn't hear what they were saying.

"Does he know about us? Does he know that he has children? What's his name?" The petite girl in the backseat asked eagerly. Aria just rolled her eyes and frowned slightly.

"No further questions, Your Honor." She replied sarcastically. After turning her head back to look at Eleanoire who was, unfortunately, not going to back down until she got some answers, she reluctantly sighed and began speaking again. "To answer your question, no. No, your father doesn't know about you or your brother. And I'd like it to stay that way, thank you very much. I called that asshole hundreds of times, left countless voicemails, including one of me asking if he'd like to meet his children while I was in the hospital, recovering from a C-section, alone, and I am still 99.99% positive that he was balking my number. As for his name, I would rather not give it to you. I'm sorry, Eleanoire, but I don't want you or your brother playing Nancy Drew while you're supposed to be visiting family."

After a long pause, the brunette in the back finally spoke again. But, she probably wished she hadn't.

"My father is part of my family." She whispered. Aria definitely heard her, and she had to really try to contain her anger.

"No. He. Is. Not." She replied, clutching the steering wheel with all her strength. The deep emphasis her mother had put on the final word of her answer was enough to scare her back into silence. Aria breathed heavily, apologized to her daughter, and celebrated her victory in silence.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading! I hope you liked chapter one of "Echoes From the Past!" If you enjoyed it, I'd love to know. Also, if you have any recommendations, chapter ideas, adjustments that need to be made, or constructive criticism, feel free to send me a PM or write a review. I love getting your feedback:)**

 **-Dee (ezriaandliars)**


	2. Call TMZ

Rosewood is one of those places.

If you grew up there, you'll know. The street lamps even have this odd aura about them, and the abnormal red hint of color the evening sky tends to take on in the middle of the summer is spooky as it is. The asphalt beneath your feet as you walk the streets feels like it's strung together with lies. The entire town feels like that. Or, at least it does to Aria. It doesn't help having Ravenswood as a neighboring town, either. _The Grunwald_ still gives her goosebumps.

Although she visits quite frequently, Ira and Eleanoire hardly ever get to see Rosewood. Aria doesn't like to have her past associated with the town, and she doesn't want her future to have the same ties. Her children, however, are part of a completely different story. Aria doesn't just want them to stay away; she didn't even want them knowing Rosewood as anything other than a small town on a map. But, Rosewood has a way of creeping up behind you when you least expect it.

That's exactly how she saw it when her father had a heart attack. The twins weren't even fifteen yet, and Aria was a nervous wreck when she heard the news. Obviously she raced back to Rosewood, but that was when it hit her: that town is poison. Byron Montgomery had had a clean bill of health his entire life, and he suddenly has a heart attack out of the blue?! That's suspicious; and Aria thought so, too.

Eleanoire and her mother linked arms as they walked up to the front porch of Ella and Byron's home, and Ira was following close behind them. As they walked along, Aria heard her name being called by a voice all too familiar to her. She turned around, and was greeted by someone she hadn't seen in way too long.

"Mike?" She asked in disbelief as she left her children standing in the middle of the walkway. She laughed ecstatically and began running to greet her little brother. "Oh my god, Mike!"

"Hey!" He chuckled as he embraced her, his older sister, the one he had always looked up to. He hadn't seen her in two years, and catching even a glimpse of his niece and nephew was an even rarer occurrence. He released her tiny form from his arms and held her shoulders gently. "You look great."

"Thanks. Hey, where's-"

Just then, Mona hopped out of the car and walked over to her husband to greet her sister in law. Aria hugged her tightly and smiled at the sight of seeing her little brother so happy. After Charlotte died-was killed-she and Mona got really close. And when Mike FINALLY popped the question, Aria was more than excited to have Mona as her sister in law. It was weird at first, before their friendship really began to blossom, to be hanging out with the woman who stalked you through most of high school; but, Mona really had changed for the better. They were family, and they loved each other.

The way he looked at her was priceless. Aria had shut her eyes while she hugged Mona, and she heard a car door slam shut and little feet stomping on the pavement. She finally released Mona from her embrace, and knelt down to be eye level with her small nephew, Micah.

"Hey, buddy! Long time no see!" Aria exclaimed as she placed a gentle hand on the little boy's shoulder and watched him smile a large, toothy grin. He had a few teeth missing, and that made him all that much cuter. Mike had wrapped his arms around Mona, and Aria loved seeing her brother so happy to have a family of his own. "You've gotten so tall! Soon enough, you're gonna be taller than me!"

"Never, Aunt Aria." He giggled shyly. Aria ruffled his platinum hair before standing up next to Mike, who kissed his wife before noticing that his niece and nephew were there as well. He slipped past his sister and hugged them. It amazed him how much Eleanoire looked like Aria, and how much Ira looked like his father. Mike never knew how different twins could look while still being almost identical.

After they had greeted their Uncle Mike, Aria sent her children inside with Micah to heckle their grandfather. Mona and Mike laughed at the sight of their small son between Eleanoire and Ira, who were giants compared to both the women who were barely 5"2. Aria stood next to Mike, as he looked as if he had something to say.

"You really need to bring them out to Rosewood more." He said happily. Aria just rolled her eyes and smiled, knowing that she had good news for Mike.

"Well, they're going to be heading off to college soon. So, you'll definitely see Ira more than you'll see Eleanoire, unfortunately." She replied as they began slowly walking to the door. Mike looked at Mona, who looked at me, and cocked his head to the right in confusion.

"Why's that?" He asked.

"He'll be attending Hollis College starting this fall as a journalism major." Aria replied proudly. She wasn't usually very vain, but her children were her pride and joy. So, she liked to brag on occasion. Mike whipped his head around to look at her. Aria was confused. Mike was the lacrosse coach at Hollis, so she thought he would look forward to seeing his nephew more often.

"Ira is going to Hollis?" He questioned in a whisper. He hoped this wasn't true.

"Yes, he is. What's up with you?" She replied sarcastically.

"Ar, you do know that he still works there, right? He's the English professor."

"I knew that. I just didn't want to hinder Ira's hopes and dreams by forcing him to steer clear of Hollis. And relax. Hollis' a huge college. I seriously doubt Ira'll run into him there. And even if he does, it won't matter." She answered in a prolonged sigh.

"What do you mean it won't matter? His son will be on campus with him...everyday! Tell me you don't think that's awkward." Mike exclaimed.

"I don't think it'll be awkward at all. Ira doesn't know who Ezra is, and Ezra doesn't know who Ira is. It's been fifteen years since I last saw him; I doubt he even remembers what I look like."

"Wait, go back." Mike ordered. Poor Mona had since been forgotten, so she left us to our business and went to go find Micah. "You haven't told him?!"

"And I don't intend to, either. Ira doesn't look anything like me, so I doubt he'll see the resemblance, IF he sees him at all."

"Aria, are you lying to yourself, too? Even if Ira didn't look like you, he'd have to be suspicious after seeing a frickin' mirror image of himself passing him in the hallway, calling him Professor Fitz."

"Can please stop being so paranoid! I'm the mother here! Please don't say a word about this to Eleanoire or Ira. I don't want them distracted when they're supposed to be planning their futures."

"You may be their mother, but I know what it feels like to be a father. Mona and Micah are my world, my everything. And honestly, I think every man should be able to experience the happiness I feel every day. After Malcolm, Ezra would be heartbroken to find out that you hid his son and daughter from him for almost two decades."

"Since when did you start feeling empathetic for Ezra fricking Fitz? Did you forget that the bastard literally broke up with me when I was almost a month pregnant? I left him countless voicemails, and what did I get in return? Radio silence. That douche started blocking my number the minute we broke up. Mike, I get it. You feel for him because you know what it's like to be a father. But, I know exactly how it feels to a single mother; and I'd rather not have Ezra Fitz come barreling into my children's lives like I know he will if he finds out." She argued passionately.

"Ezra didn't know you were pregnant, Aria. And don't get me wrong, I despise him for leaving you when you needed him most; but don't think that he forgot about you. After Mona and I got married ten years ago, after Charlotte was killed, he called me into his office and asked me if I knew where you were. I said no, because at that point, I still knew him as the jerk who left my sister. He wanted to hire a P.I., Aria. He wanted to find you."

This was news to Aria. As much as she wanted to remain pissed at the man who left her to be a single mother of twins, this information left her feeling that pitter-patter she felt when they used to be together. Her mouth gaped subtly before she cleared her throat and recollected herself. In an instant, she was back to her sarcastic self.

"Was I running a terrorist cell I didn't know of? Why would he want to hire a goddamn private investigator?" She replied. She was completely conscious of her tone of voice, but she watched as Mike laughed it off. Typical Montgomery.

"He told me that he looked everywhere in Boston, but couldn't find anything. I just told him to stop looking, because you didn't want to see him. But, he persisted." He answered. Aria leaned forward in anticipation; she was completely infatuated with this conversation now.

"Wh-what did he say?" She stuttered. The knot in her stomach twisted and contorted until she was sick, and she felt like she needed to know what happened next. She still suffered from PTSD from her dollhouse days, and nightmares about Ezra Fitz would just make it worse. She knew that her parents couldn't keep Ira and Eleanoire occupied for too much longer, and she didn't want them walking in on this conversation.

"He asked me, uh, what he ever did to make you hate him like he assumed you did. And I was under the assumption that you had told him about his friggin' children already, and that he was just being a jackass because he didn't want to pay child support; so, I told him that he left you when you needed him most. But don't worry. He probably just thought I was alluding to college stress."

"You almost TOLD him?! God, Mike, the man's smart! He probably figured out that I was hiding something from him, and that's best case scenario!" She was livid as she spoke. She tried to calm herself mentally before she blew up again. Luckily, she was successful. "Come on. Mom and dad are probably waiting for us."

He nodded and scurried the hell into the house like the sky was crashing down. Aria looked down at her hands, and watched them as they shook like they always did when she was nervous or angry. This time, however, it was both.

After that conversation, she couldn't help but think back to the night that ended it all. She covered her mouth with her hand in order to hold in her sobs as she stood on the pavement, reminiscing about the night that, had it ended differently, would've changed everything.

* * *

 _ **June 21st, 2011**_

She stood there, arms folded over her chest, facing away from him with an intense anger boiling inside her. They had been fighting almost nonstop for the last week and a half, and it was really taking a toll on her stress levels and anxiety. The small apartment seemed to stretch out for miles when they stood on separate sides trying to collect themselves before they blew up at one another. That was smart, she thought. If she did let her anger take over or he his, that would make it the fourth time this week they fought with nothing but livid rage between them. In a sense, the love they once felt for one another was gone.

"Why do we do this?" He asked quietly from his corner of the apartment. She had heard him, but she didn't think that his voice was anything but a figment of her imagination at this point. Neither of them had spoken in a solid twenty minutes.

"You ask me like you think I would know." She answered. A tinge of fear lingered after she spoke, thereby shaping her words into a melancholy symphony.

"I'm not trying to antagonize you. I'm just...contemplating..."

"Contemplating what? Me? Us?"

"Don't go there."

"I kinda hard NOT to go there! You're acting like I'm the antithesis of trying to work things out." She sobbed, muffling her cries with her hand.

Although they looked like they didn't, they loved each other still even through all the fighting. The look in Ezra's eyes when he saw tears fall down her porcelain cheeks and her trying her best to work problems out lied just beneath the thin veneer of bitterness at the forefront of their emotions. You just needed to know where to look.

"I'm sorry." He breathed huskily. She turned her head to look at him and saw a certain red blotchiness mask his face. He had been crying quietly during the silence. This combined with the words he said next set Aria over the edge. "It shouldn't be this hard."

"What is that supposed to mean?" She fumed through her tears.

"Aria, we've been ripping at each other's throats for weeks. Maybe it's best if we spend some time apart. All this fighting isn't good for either of us, and I just want you to be happy."

"I WANT to make this work, Ezra. We're just fighting because we're stressed." She said as she calmed down. Her anger had left her since, and she was now filled with despair.

"Are we? Because it feels like we're on completely different sides of this. We're fighting because we have nothing left to do but fight." He retorted.

Nope. The anger had returned.

"Ezra, we are now FIGHTING over why we FIGHT." She yelled. He put a hand to his forehead, and made the most difficult decision of his life. This was it. They were done in his eyes. They had nothing left but anger, and all they did nowadays was lash out at each other. This wasn't going to be beneficial to either of them in the long run.

"I can't do this anymore." He whispered sternly.

"What do you mean you can't do this anymore?" She stuttered after processing his words for a moment. "Are you-giving up on us?"

Her words pained him. But, he had made up his mind. This constant bickering wasn't going to get any better. And as far as he knew, this could've been the eye of the hurricane. It could've gotten worse if he didn't draw the line now.

"Aria, there isn't any love left between us. This won't work. It can't work. I'm sorry, but this-" He paused to gesture his hand towards her and then back at himself."-can't go on. I think you should go."

She was completely mystified. They were over. She let a few more painful tears stream down her cheeks before storming out the door.

No wave.

No last look.

No _nothing_.

* * *

"AR-I-A."

She was torn from her thoughts by Mike, who was leaning towards her through the doorway and waving at her to come inside. She shook her head slightly and wiped the tears from her cheeks before walking inside.

"Hey," He said as he enveloped her in a hug,"are you alright? I'm sorry if I went too far. You're their mother, and I should've respected your decisions."

"No, no. I'm fine. Really, I'm fine. I wasn't crying because of our conversation. I was just-thinking..." She replied as she let another tear fall.

"About?" He questioned deviously. She laughed at his obvious intrusiveness, a universal quality all younger brothers possessed.

"The night Ezra and I broke up." She whispered. "Now that I think about it, I think my constant moodiness was the premise of most of our arguments. I can't believe I found I was pregnant what, like, a week after that? Talk about bad timing."

"You and Ezra breaking up was not your fault." Mike replied.

"Wasn't it, though? I pushed him to break up with me. I was the emotional, clingy wreck." She laughed. "God, I remember storming over to his apartment so fast with the test, only to find out that he had left AND that he had blocked my number. And who could blame him?"

"I blame him. He hurt my baby girl."

She turned around hastily to find her mother, holding an oven mitt in one hand and an apron in the other as she leaned against the doorway. Aria raised both eyebrows simultaneously to signify that she wasn't thrilled with the fact that her mother had been eavesdropping the entire time. But, Ella Montgomery just laughed it off and tucked some of her graying hair behind her ear before hugging her only daughter tightly.

"I have to give the douche bag some credit, though. If he hadn't been around and you two hadn't...done 'stuff,' I wouldn't have my two precious grandchildren I love so much." She muttered into Aria's shoulder. Aria quickly pulled away and laughed.

"Mom!" She exclaimed as she jokingly punched her mother on the shoulder.

"I'm sorry, hon. But it's true! If you two hadn't gotten all down and dirty-"

"Ah, okay. Mom, have you been drinking? This conversation's getting a little uncomfortable to listen to." Mike chimed in.

"A little. Why are you so touchy on this?! You have a son, for God's sake! Did you just forget how THAT happened, or are you just being cynical?" Their mother said with a quick and subtle eye roll. Aria laughed as she watched her brother's face turn bright red, and draped her arm around his shoulders.

"Alright. Enough of that, please. Mom, do you always eavesdrop on people's conversations, or just ours?"

"Hon, you're my children. It's either that or I could pull a Hastings and call TMZ." Ella exclaimed as she cupped Aria's face with one of her hands. Aria smiled and put one of her hands on her mother's. "God, I haven't seen you in so long. Too long, you hear me? You HAVE to come out to Rosewood more often."

A sigh left Aria's lips once again.

"Okay. I literally just had this conversation with Mike, so I'm just gonna tell you so you can get all your frustration and Parenting 101 lectures off your chest before we sit down for dinner." Aria sighed. She braced herself before continuing. "Ira got accepted into Hollis. And I didn't know how to turn him down, so that's where he's going this fall. I just don't know what I'm going to say if he asks me about a certain Professor Fitz in the English department. He's smart. He'll figure it out, I just know it."

She paused before speaking again. She wanted to choose her words wisely. Ezra Fitz was a touchy subject for her daughter.

"I'd say it's about time. He has to find out eventually, and who knows; maybe, Ezra won't even notice Ira. Just be grateful it's not Ellie who's gonna be running into her father every day. That girl is going to make a great lawyer. She reminds me of you when you were younger." Ella calmly replied, her words lacing themselves with sarcasm before she could catch them. That's just how she spoke. And as much as Aria knew that, it wouldn't stop her from becoming slightly irascible at her mother's inability to be serious.

"Mom. You're really not helping right now."

"You know what I think you should do?" Ella asked as she ran her thin fingers through Aria's short hair. Aria shook her head.

"I think that you should sit down for dinner. And, after that, you should write Ezra a letter and ask him to meet you for lunch." Ella stated firmly.

"I would ask you if you're insane, but I already know the answer to that question." Aria replied. Mona called for Mike, and he excused himself quickly. "Like I haven't already tried sending him a letter. He doesn't want to talk to me, and personally, I don't want to talk to him."

"Yes, you do. And I think the circumstances have changed, hon."

"How many times do I have to say it, Mom?! I don't want to talk to him!" Aria yelled.

"Aria, please listen to me. You will thank me later if you just reach out to him. And your blood sugar is obviously on the low side. I got your favorite: Chinese." Ella calmly said, thereby ending the conversation. Aria huffed as her mother led her into the dining room which she knew all too well, and reflected on her mom's words.

She had been right. And Aria knew that. She did need to talk to him. She needed to see him. Although it seemed stupid and slightly inane, she also needed to know if he was alright. He may have been the one who left her to mother his children, alone. But, she needed to know.

After dinner that night, Aria was up far later than everyone else in the house. She sat on the wood floor of her old bedroom with a pen and paper in her one hand, and the worn copy of "Winesburg, Ohio" she knew so well in the other.

She brought that book everywhere. She read it when she was up late at night trying to rock one of the twins to sleep before they woke the other, or when she felt afraid of being in her tiny apartment alone in the night with her two identical infants. It was one of the only books she read to her children to get them to sleep when they were little, and she bought them each their own copy just before graduation. It was a source of comfort for all three of them, even though Aria hated admitting it. It made them feel safe.

Every time she thought she had worded something right, she immediately started over; every word seemed way to good for that son of a bitch, yet still not good enough. As good a writer as she was, Aria was having the most difficult time penning this small, insignificant note. After an hour of starring at both bare, anemic white pages and scribble-covered messes, she decided that to be succinct was to be supreme.

 _"Ezra F.,_

 _I know, you probably hate me. But, I have to see you, at least one last time. I don't know how you've been, but I hope you've been well. I've been well. I bet you ten bucks you're going gray-I'm kind of going gray, so I'm not judging._

 _Please, just, disregard our past; look past what happened that summer. Meet me for lunch at the Brew, tomorrow, at noon._

 _I hope you come. I need to see you._

 _-A. Montgomery"_

Pushing thick tears aside, she grabbed an envelope, shoved her message forcefully into it, sealed it shut, and thrust it into her bag. She was going to leave it on his desk at Hollis the following morning while Ira checked out the campus.

As her eyes began to close, she reminisced sweetly about her teenage years, before her life took an interesting turn. She wouldn't trade them, her little girl and her little boy, for anything. She fell asleep on the floor with her phone beside her (alarm set, per usual), and "Winesburg, Ohio" at her feet.

* * *

 **Thank you so much for reading chapter two of EOTP. I hope you enjoyed it, and I'm very sorry for not churning it out sooner. Most of this chapter is just the brainchild of my sleep-deprived, fever-plagued delirium, anyway:)**

 **What's your favorite part/character of the story so far? Is there anything I can tweak and/or change whilst writing chapter three? Please, don't hesitate to PM me or send me a review-I love talking;))**

 **(Thirty-three days 'til April 18!)**

 **XOXO,**

 **Dee R. L. (ezriaandliars)**


	3. Pullin' A Maggie

"This building is very, very historic. In fact, this brick was the first of many placed in the year 1912."

Aria Montgomery trudged along, eyes pleading for someone, somewhere, to put her out of her misery. Their tour guide who was given the task of leading her, Ira and about four other seemingly eager young adults through Hollis college. That would've been okay with Aria; if only the stout middle-aged woman leading the tour didn't pause and explain every single freaking brick.

She wanted to stay optimistic for Ira's sake, but it was getting harder and harder to do so. She silently thanked the builders (the very same who had put the 120 year old brick in the wall) for not placing a window on the main floor. Otherwise, she probably would've tucked and rolled by now. Aria told herself that Ira was probably having a good time, and that she should try and stay positive for his sake; but he was, in reality, as bored out of his mind as she was.

"Who is this woman and why does she have verbal diarrhea?" He whispered into his mother's ear. Aria had to really try and hold back a complete laughing fit. Ira certainly was her son.

"I think her name is Frieda. Or was it Edith?" She replied with her hand muffling her subtle giggles.

"I don't know. And I really don't care." He laughed quietly. After a moment of silence listening to their guide talk enthusiastically about the mahogany plaque on the wall, he leaned in again. "I thought her name was Joanne."

"I think you're right. And there's a break in about a minute and thirty seconds, so we can ditch and grab a coffee. I can give you a better tour than this dimwit. I used to practically live here." She muttered, checking her watch.

"Sounds amazing," Ira whispered in response. He smiled gratefully and looked down at his mother. "Thanks for trying to stay positive for me. It means a lot."

"Ira, I'm your mom. I'd do absolutely anything for you and Elle. You know that, don't you?"

"I do, Mom. And thank you. I seriously have no idea where I'd be without you."

"Well, I did bring you into existence. So..." She replied quietly as the group stopped abruptly and split up for a break. "Come one. Let's get the heck out of here before I do jump out the window."

Ira chuckled as his mother pulled him around a corner into another hallway. As they began walking towards the main exit, Aria remembered the other thing she had come to Hollis to do. She pulled out an envelope from her purse and sidetracked to a door near the middle of the hall, dragging a confused Ira with her.

As she opened the door, hoping silently with all her might that the office be empty when she entered, she heard Ira talking to her. She whipped her head around to face him, and saw a faintly familiar look in his eyes.

"Mom, what are you doing?" He asked. "That office is empty."

"That's what I was hoping." She muttered. She bent the corners of the envelope inward, gently at first but then more forcefully, out of nervousness as she waited for Ira to let up. It took her a mere moment to realize that he wasn't going to let up at all: he's her son.

"Who's Ezra Fitz?" He asked. Aria stared at him, unable to find a reasonable answer to his question, before realizing that he didn't actually know who he was talking about. He was just reading the plaque above the door handle. After exhaling in relief, she shook her head and thought of an answer.

"Ezra? Oh, he's...uh...he's just a friend. From a really long time ago. I want to invite him to lunch later today. He doesn't get in till ten, so he'll hopefully get this before noon."

She slipped past Ira and into the office, avoiding his gaze as much as possible. The room looked just as it did twenty years ago: messily neat, with a tinge of his OCD lurking in the corners of his neatly stacked graded essays. The environment was so familiar to her, yet she felt so out of place. She pondered on this thought for a moment before seeing a worn copy of _Ulysses_ on the desk. She smiled.

"You still haven't finished that book?" She breathed into the air. She waited for his response. It never came.

"What?" Ira asked as he inspected the office.

"Oh, nothing. Lost in my thoughts...again."

She sighed and put the envelope on top of the book dolefully, almost as if she was no longer angry at him. She was, in fact, the angriest she had ever been at him. It just took her a moment, and a look back at Ira, for her to remember why she was so angry. She was standing in her former lover's empty office with her son (his son) trailing behind. That thought alone was enough to make her cringe in hatred of Ezra Fitz, the man she loved and thought had loved her back.

Aria laughed at the thought of introducing Ira as "her relative" later today. He was; but, he wasn't. He's her son. Her own. His own. "Damn it," she thought.

"I'm pullin' a Maggie," she thought.

She shook her head and yanked herself back into reality before turning to look at Ira, who had whispered something just under his breath. She didn't know what, and quite frankly, she was scared to find out. Ira was smart, way smarter than her. He'd figured something out; she just knew it. And she was right.

"What was that, hon?" She asked. As she feigned ignorance, Ira was still processing. Processing what, though?

"Were you and this Ezra Fitz really just friends?" He asked.

"Of course. Why would you ask that?"

He looked down, seemingly angry that she had lied to him, before returning his eyes to her. He nodded towards a framed picture on a small table near the door, and her stomach dropped.

The picture had to have been taken in 2012, maybe 2011. His arm was wrapped around her, and she was leaning into his shoulder with a content smile. They were so young. Tears pooled in her eyes as she was taken back to the day the picture had been taken.

She couldn't believe it. He had kept the picture.

"That," he uttered. She looked up at him as she wiped tears from her eyes, and his eyes grew wide. He snapped a picture of the picture on his cellphone and returned his gaze to his mother. "Mom, if I ask you this, please answer me honestly."

"Depends what you need to ask me," she replied nonchalantly.

"He's _Winesburg, Ohio_ , isn't he?" Ira asked quietly. Aria's head jerked upwards, and all she could do was stare at him. He'd put the pieces together. He'd figured it out. "Is he?"

The code name "Winesburg, Ohio" was the name Aria told Ira and Eleanoire was her ex-boyfriend back in high school. She hadn't wanted to say his real name, and the twins were seven years old, so it's not like they'd know the difference. Apparently, Ira had thought about it a lot more than he let on.

"One and the same," she answered with a prolonged sigh. He still had a ways to go before the truth was in his hands, but with Ira Montgomery, it'd be a mere hop, skip and a jump until he knew everything.

"Is it him?" He asked. She looked at him with a look of defeat, waving an imaginary flag of surrender. "Mom, is Ezra Fitz my father?"

She couldn't answer him. They stood in silence for a few seconds, before Ira figured out what the silence was trying to inform him of.

"God, please say something..." He whimpered, his voice laced with hurt. She stared at him painfully, almost like his tears were stabbing a thousand knives into her chest. She hated to see him cry.

"C'mon," Aria whispered, "we're late."

* * *

About two hours later, Aria was seated at her usual table in the Rear Window Brew. She fiddled nervously with her teaspoon and clunked it in and out of her murky herbal tea, which was now cold. She wondered if he got the note. She wondered if he'd actually show up.

She wondered what he'd say, after all these years they spent apart.

Every time the door swung open and a crisp summer breeze came freely through the door with a new customer at its tail, she was the first to swing her head around to see if it was him. But, that habit began twenty minutes ago. And she was beginning to grow restless.

Aria couldn't figure out who she was more nervous to speak to: Ezra if he showed up, or Ira when she got home, who she assumed had told Eleanoire everything as well.

There was her answer. She was _definitely_ more afraid of talking to Eleanoire than anyone else.

The door opened again, and she turned her head slowly and hopelessly towards it to see if this time was the time she would see him walking through the door. But, she grew immensely pale before she could do anything else. There, walking through the door, were her children: Eleanoire at the front and Ira trailing behind with his tail between his legs.

She had pleaded with Ira to keep himself and his sister home while she anticipated meeting Ezra Fitz, but she didn't know if her point had gotten across, or if it was per usual: in one ear, and out the other. Now she had her answer: by the look on Ira's face, her fairly convincing monologue had gotten across just fine. Eleanoire, however, was a different story. Aria stood up, obviously annoyed, and approached the duo by the door.

"What in God's name are you two doing here?!" She shouted in a hushed voice as to not disturb the coffee-sippers and regular hipsters in The Brew. "Ira, I thought I told you to tell Eleanoire to stay home!"

"He did. But, I'm an adult now. I can make my own decisions." Eleanoire replied sassily. Aria rolled her eyes derisively and laughed.

"Eleanoire, you can't even wash a sweater without turning it into a shitzu-sized peacoat." She said. "And I'm still your mother. In case you forgot during your little stroll down here, I friggin' taught you how to walk!"

"I just want to see what he looks like. Then, I'll-we'll-leave. Promise." Ira chimed in. Eleanoire looked at her brother with utter disgust, and shifted her weight to her dominant foot.

"No! Speak for yourself! I want to meet the man responsible for my existence, thank you very much. Don't you?"

"I'M responsible for your existence! And no one will be speaking to anybody on my watch. You can sit, stay, observe, get a cup of coffee, whatever. Just know that you are not to speak to him. Got it?" Aria asked before Ira had the chance to be swayed by his relatively convincing twin sister, which would be her worst nightmare at this moment: to have two against one. He nodded almost immediately after (he knew not to mess with his mother), and after getting a mean glance from Aria, Eleanoire did the same. They sat down in sync at a table, and Aria smiled. "Thank you."

She promptly returned to her own table, played with her teaspoon some more, and waited.

When the door swung open once more, she looked over her shoulder and saw him. He had shown up. He did get the letter. She smiled giddily before remembering that she was still mad as hell at him, and clunked the spoon into her cold tea some more. He bought a coffee and looked around for her for a moment before seeing her. She looked so different, yet still recognizable.

"Fifteen years'll do that to you," he thought.

Ezra looked down at his closed fist before inhaling deeply and approaching her, the woman he once loved. The truth was, he hadn't fallen out of love with her, either. And he wanted to tell her, he really did. But, he couldn't bear the thought of her telling him that she had moved on. Met someone. Started a family. Found a new dream.

He couldn't figure out what made her seem so different from the last time he saw her, but he didn't care. She was still so beautiful to him. Her thin, wavy bangs in her face; her delicate, defined cheekbones; her elegant figure. He had missed it all too much.

He stepped closer to the table silently and, before speaking, slid a ten dollar bill across the table towards her, making her head jerk up to look at him.

"I'm not just going gray," he began with a boyish smile that was all too familiar to her,"I _am_ gray."

She had planned on staying reserved for awhile before actually opening up to him, but after that cocky statement, she felt like a teenager again. Her sass had returned, and she planned on giving her two children seated at the back of them a glimpse at what her life used to be like.

"Exactly how many AA meetings did it take before you finally shaved the depressed alcoholic beard?" She replied, gesturing at the chair opposite her. He took a seat, smiled at her, and began taking in her appearance from this new angle. The first thing he noticed? She wasn't wearing a wedding ring. She noticed him staring at her hands, and decided to speak up. "If you're looking for a ring, don't bother. I haven't found anyone. Yet."

"Sorry. It's just...it's been so long." He remarked. He shook his head subtly as he brought himself back to reality.

"Too long," she replied with a grin.

The way she smiled; her demeanor; everything about her. He just wanted to hold her in his arms and kiss her. But, that time was over a long time ago. And he just had to accept that.

If only Aria could've seen Eleanoire behind her. She was practically pulling a Hanna with her pocket mirror held just high enough so she could see who her mother was meeting over her shoulder in the reflection. Ira was just trying to put everything together in a neat little jigsaw puzzle in his mind. But, little did he know, this wasn't Yahtzee.

"He looks just like you," Eleanoire whispered across the table to Ira, who was just as distracted as usual, "like you two could be twins."

"Hmm?" He replied, obviously confused. Eleanoire rolled her eyes and stared at him with a solemn look of disapproval. "Sorry?"

"This is important, imbecile," she uttered while annoyedly snapping her pocket mirror shut in her hand. It made more noise than she had anticipated, and she blushed a bright shade of vermillion, making Ira chuckle.

"Shh, I'm trying to listen," he responded, shushing her. She scoffed and crossed her arms over her chest.

"If you were looking at the eye candy at the counter, I already noticed. And I call dibs." She replied somewhat derisively, making Ira smirk.

"You can have him," he replied with a newfound confidence, "I already have a date."

She clanked her teacup down into its dish on the table and stared at him with wide eyes.

"What?! And why am I just hearing about this now?"

"It's new. And because if you know, Mom will find out. Then she'll start planning the wedding, and things would get awkward. Fast."

"Who is it?"

"No one."

"Dustin? Jaxon? Eddie from Calculus? I really don't see him as the gay type, but I guess anything's possible." Eleanoire continued.

"Nope. None of the above, thank you very much."

"Then who _IS_ it?"

"Would you be quiet? I'm trying to listen in on this." He shushed. She relaxed, knowing that she now had him wrapped around her finger if she ever needed a favor.

Oh, the joys of secrets.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Well, these last few months have been hell. While I tried to adjust to the ever-blazing flames of the underworld biting me in the ass, I completely forgot I had promised to update. So, I apologize.**

 **Season 7B is so freaking GOOD, though! Holy crap, I am deceased after that Emison last night. Avat-Aria is creepy as f**k. Feel free to rant to me via PM, as I am desperate to rant to someone and I love to talk:)**

 **So...I hope you are still able to follow this story! I know, it's been an eternity since the last update, and I am so, so sorry. Who's your favorite character thus far? Any theories? Requests? Critiques?**

 **Thank you so much for reading!**

 **XOXO,**

 **Dee R. L. (ezriaandliars)**


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